


Vandalism

by vectacular



Series: Z-to-A of Pegoryu [5]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: First Meetings, M/M, Persona 5 Protagonist is from Inaba, ann also makes a bit of an appearance at the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21882067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vectacular/pseuds/vectacular
Summary: On the way to meet his friend in another town, Ryuji makes a stop at a very familiar place.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: Z-to-A of Pegoryu [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540372
Comments: 10
Kudos: 110





	Vandalism

**Author's Note:**

> This one started out as a completely different thing, but then my brain went "oh, this plot is better" and... it's right.

_22XX_

“Inaba? _Inaba?!_ What the hell, Ryuji?!” Ann’s tone is _very_ angry, and he winces, holding his mobile from his ear. He’s glad he’s in his room, where he can’t get more looks due to Ann. He already got enough weird looks and whispering people on the way here, probably due to his bleached hair, or because it’s a very small town or something.

“I know, I know, _Kuroda_ ,” he says. Ann huffs, “I dunno. This place seemed to be a good place to spend the night.” From what he’s seen of the station and the Amagi Inn, it’s very nice. Touched minimally by the burnished silver that he’s used to in Tokyo, though it is creeping through in places, especially with the floating fast rail.

Ann groans, “but I wanna go to that sweet shop,” she whines, and he can almost hear her pouting.

“You could jus’ go, and then go again once I get there,” he points out, and Ann huffs again.

“It won’t be the same! Fine, I’ll wait a day or two, but if I have to wait longer than _a week_ for you to get your ass here, I won’t be happy,” she threatens, then hangs up. He scratches his head, sighing. 

What’s the point of just travelling around if your best friend wants you to only go to certain places? 

Besides, it felt like something _pulled_ him to Inaba. Just something quiet going _oh_ when Inaba was announced over the fast rail announcements. 

* * *

He’s making his way towards a steak place recommended by the Inn’s leaflet, when he spots a splash of colour on a far wall. Curious, he goes towards it, finding what he’s looking for on an old brick fence. Blinking, he takes it in, mind slowly catching up with what he’s found. 

On the brown fence is graffiti. And _very good_ graffiti at that, depicting a figure in a mask and red gloves, gripping the throat of a monster, like he’s going to rip it off. In the corner is a simple mask, like the one the character wears, and Ryuji takes a lot of pictures of the artwork, only to be pulled back into reality when his stomach rumbles. 

Once he’s found Souzai Daigaku, the guy running the place gives him a weird look like the many other people in Inaba, but he waves it off and orders. The artwork seems to be seared into his brain, and he thinks of asking around. A town as small as this would keep tabs on that, right? 

When the guy calls out his name, he wanders up and collects his steak. “So hey, d’you know who did that graffiti that’s a few streets back?” 

The guy gives him another odd look. “You don’t know him?” 

“Uhhhhhh. No?” 

* * *

Ryuji looks up at the house. _Expensive_ house, compared to the other’s he’s seen in Inaba. A part of him _burning_ with a need to know, as well as the good steak for dinner, makes his anxiety minimal as he goes to knock on the door. 

“If you’re here to―“ A deep voice starts before the door opens, though the guy stops once he sees Ryuji. Stops as in, _drops his phone and gapes like he’s seen a ghost_ stop.

Ryuji freezes up, mainly because the guy’s _very, very_ pretty. Sharp grey eyes and fluffy dark hair that he immediately wants to touch. He expects glasses on the other’s face for some weird reason, but there’s no glasses. _Stop being weird_ , he berates himself, “uh. Hi?”

The guy’s eyes go wide, “h―hello?” The guy squeaks. 

“Uh, listen, sorry for being weird,” he starts to ramble, but he can’t make himself stop as he points behind his shoulder, “it’s just, I saw your art on my way to dinner and it’s―uh? Amazing?” He grimaces, stepping back as he realises how he sounds. “Just, uh, wanted t―“

The guy steps out and grabs his wrist and he chokes. What feels like too much electricity passes through him from where they touch, even through fabric. “Thank you,” the guy says, voice full of wonder and his eyes shining. “I can―I mean―I have _so much more_ art that I could show you?” 

“You’re not trying to get me in there to murder me, are you?” He asks weakly, and the guy lets go, looking stricken. 

“No! No! I have―hold on―“ The guy runs back into his house, and there’s a faint sound of things shifting before the guy comes back with a big art folder. He recognises them as the type Yusuke likes to put his sketches in. “I’m doing this all out of order―I’m A―Kurusu Akira and would you _please_ come in and look at my art?” Guy―Kurusu’s voice breaks as he holds out his folder. 

Hesitantly, he comes closer, and Kurusu holds out his folder, face hopeful. “Sakamoto Ryuji,” he introduces himself, and Kurusu grins. “As long as you promise that you’re not going to kill me.” 

“I promise!” Kurusu practically bounces as he’s lead through the entrance to a living room, “water? Soda?” Kurusu smiles, and he looks away, face red as he sits on the comfortable couch. Of course the graffiti artist had to be his type. 

“‘M good. Just had dinner,” he mumbles awkwardly. Kurusu motions to the folder, grinning widely as he opens it. His eyes go wide, seeing illustrations of flashy casinos, banks floating over cities. “ _Woah_ ,” he breathes as he looks through the folder, filled with big and small papers full of sceneries. Tokyo raining red blood, with skeletal remains overlaid, a grand castle… 

While he’s absorbed into the art, Kurusu apparently went to get another folder, “this one’s… my favourite,” he says, smile shy. _And cute_ , Ryuji thinks as the other man rolls the folder in his hands. Unlike the black of the current folder, this new one is a bright yellow. Kurusu sits down, the yellow folder next to him, and Ryuji carefully puts the black folder down, picking up the yellow one. 

Unlike the sceneries of the black folder, this one starts with a cat, and then… He freezes, staring at his own face. Younger, but _him_. Eyes bugging out, he flicks through the paper, finding _Ann, Yusuke, Futaba, Makoto, Haru, Sojiro, his mum!_ “What the fuck?!?” He goes back the other way, but it’s still the same, him surrounded by his friends, his friends on their own, so much of _him_ , him in a weird outfit, some of his friends in other weird outfits― 

“Ever since I was young,” Kurusu starts softly, “I’ve been having these dreams. Drawing them was the only I could make sense of them. I’m in Tokyo, and I do fantastic things like evading death or shooting some huge―God? I guess―and I did all these things with my friends that I met there.” 

“Me?” He looks at Kurusu, who smiles bashfully. 

“It’s a lot to take in from someone you just met, but in my dreams, you’re one of the first people I met who treated me nicely, who became my friend. Seeing you when you knocked… I couldn’t believe it,” Kurusu’s smile becomes more soft, “back then, I was called Amamiya Ren, and I always thought that my dreams were from some past life,” at this point, Kurusu fiddles with his hair, “and with you here… I’m sure.” 

It _should_ sound insane. It _does_ sound insane, and yet… “I’m travellin’ around. Ann,” Kurusu’s smile brightens, “she wanted me to go some place with sweets and she’s waiting for me there, but I heard _Inaba_ on the rail announcements, and I,” he swallows, “I felt this urge to be here. An’ seeing your art, I wanted to know _so badly_ who did it―and,” he frowns, thinking of the _stares_ , “you’ve done graffiti of me before?” 

Kurusu fidgets more with a strand of hair, hunching, “a bit,” a pause, “a lot. A moderate _lot_.” _What does that even mean?!_

“So, the weird stares from other people here was because of all the art they’ve seen from you of me?” He asks, and Kurusu groans, curling up onto the couch, covering his face. “Did you at least get my good side?” He says jokingly. 

“Of course!” Kurusu springs up, “you have no bad sides, and you’re so kind and selfless and that’s why I fell in love with y―“ Kurusu claps his hands over his mouth, eyes wide. Ryuji doesn’t feel much better, gaping, face feeling hot enough to cook an egg on. “ _Had_ , he, Ren, he _had_ ,” Kurusu explains before slapping his hands back over his mouth. 

Ryuji struggles to say something, mind swirling around uselessly at Kurusu’s words. “Thanks,” he manages. “Did past you ever confess?” He spends a moment to wonder how utterly crazy this conversation sounds, even with how it all clicks, how it feels right to be here. 

“Ah―“ Kurusu looks down and starts to tug at his hair, “no―I think―he died before he could get a chance to?” Kurusu shrugs. “Can we―um―can I have your number? That is, if you don’t want to it’ll be fi―”

“Sure thing, Akira,” the name slips out before he can think of it, and Kurusu―well, Akira―relaxes and gives him a bright smile. Taking out their phones, they swap numbers. Outside the huge window across from him is dark, and he wonders how long he’s been here. “I should go,” he points at the window, and Akira’s smile dims, before brightening again as he nods. 

“It was so nice to meet you, again,” Akira says softly once they’re at the front door. 

“Nice to meet you again too,” he says with a grin. Gathering his courage, his leans in and kisses Akira’s cheek. “I’ll see you later,” he moves away, waving. 

“SAKAMOTO!” Akira shouts, holding his cheek, face red, “YOU ASSHOLE!” 

He giggles, and Akira gives him a rude gesture.

_**[Fin]** _

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote most of this in one go! 
> 
> Feed me, your local writer, with comments! And kudos, but mainly comments! ♥ ♥ 
> 
> [Tumblr](https://lenreli.tumblr.com/post/189786526570/v-16k-link) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/lenreli/status/1208254296602501122)


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